Climate action capability
Climate action is everyone’s responsibility.
For Monash University, it's our calling.
Monash is pioneering a path to a greener, smarter, more sustainable future, where emissions are lower and the natural environment and humans thrive. To achieve this, we have become a force for global climate action.
We are bringing together our leading capabilities to achieve net zero emissions for ourselves and others, and we are setting the pace for transformational climate education as well as empowering communities across Asia Pacific to be more climate resilient.
Our work in education and research seeks to empower future leaders and better understand the nature and effects of climate change and design innovative solutions to this global challenge, to ensure a better future for all.
Research
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We were the first Australian university to make the pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030 via our NetZero Initiative, receiving the United Nations Momentum for Change Award in 2018 for our climate action leadership.
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Our Net Zero Universities initiative complements and extends Monash’s Net Zero Initiative with a tangible goal for a network of universities across the globe to put net zero into action, and lead the way by showing how our own campuses can be net zero models.
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Monash University’s Energy Institute and Climateworks Centre together with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network of over 1,700 Universities, have developed a detailed guide to support the Net Zero initiatives of colleges and universities worldwide through the Net Zero on Campus Guide.
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We are convening international networks across government and business sectors, and setting mission-oriented goals that limit global warming, in line with the Paris Agreement. We are the leading Australian university actively working to help frontline communities dealing with climate change in neighbouring countries across Asia Pacific:
- Revitalising Informal Settlements and Environments (RISE) which is connecting Fijians and Indonesians living in low socio-economic conditions with better environmental health and clean water
- Citarum River Transformation Project which is transforming the world's dirtiest river into a healthy environment with clean water and sustainable waste services
- The World Mosquito Program aims to develop a natural method using commonly found bacteria to stop the mosquito from transmitting the virus.
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We are working with government and industry to pave the way for green investment by pioneering climate-first financial mechanisms and tools for mobilising climate finance. The Pacific Action for Climate Transitions (PACT) program is a world-first research program, in partnership with the University of Fiji, focusing on the economic impacts of climate change and empowering economic resilience and community wellbeing in frontline communities.
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We’re securing the future of Antarctica, by forecasting environmental change and deploying effective strategies to protect the region through our Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) program.
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To assist food chains and supplies which are under threat due to the impacts of climate change, we're using artificial intelligence and virtual bees to improve pollination and crop management through our NativeBee+ Tech Facility.
Education
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Our Flagship Rich Educational Experiences immerse students in solving real sustainability challenges with industry, researchers and community leaders in eight different countries.
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The Monash Master of Environment and Sustainability won The Banksia Foundation Award, the highest national award in its field for equipping graduates to lead change in their future careers.
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We are empowering and engaging emerging leaders in Model UNs which brings together students from a diverse range of faculties, backgrounds and all levels of Model United Nations (MUN) experience.
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Monash is proud to be hosting the 2023 Australian UNFCCC Local Conference of Youth in partnership with UNICEF. Monash students have been part of our COP delegation for the last five years, engaging with global leaders and developing capability in climate diplomacy.
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Through our Climate Change Communication Research Hub we’re working with governments and industry around the world to improve climate literacy, ensuring people understand, communicate and are able to implement climate action practices, policies and programs.
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We’re setting the pace on climate education and youth engagement through our mission-focused university-wide cross-faculty educational strategy.
Partnerships
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We've been leading the climate debate in Australia for four decades. Monash University hosted the inaugural 'GREENHOUSE' conference convened in 1987 by the Australian Federal Government, in response to the growing global spotlight on the dangers of global warming that kick-started the climate debate in Australia.
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Monash is already sharing our practical decarbonisation expertise with tertiary and other sectors on how to achieve carbon neutrality. We’re a member of the International Universities Climate Alliance, which focuses on knowledge-sharing for climate action.
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We are one of more than 1000 universities in the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, focusing on the promotion of research and education to meet the broader UN Sustainable Development Goals. Monash is also a founding member of the recently-announced World Alliance of Universities on Carbon Neutrality (WAUCN), aiming to deliver science, engineering and technological solutions to help achieve climate change mitigation targets.
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We are leading the inaugural ICUA Climate Education Partnerships Summit.
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Monash Sustainable Development Institute is host to the Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Regional Network of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network UN SDSN (SDSN AusNZPac), which builds capacity and mobilises support and action towards SDG implementation in Australia, the region and globally. The hub has a strong focus on empowering youth to have a voice in climate action and decision-making.
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Our Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) program transforming human and environmental health in Suva, Fiji and Makassar, Indonesia, is testament to our convener power and involves partners from across the region including development partners UN-Habitat, United Nations University, WaterAid and Oxfam and funded by Asian Development Bank, the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund, financed by the Rockefeller Foundation and the UK and Swiss Governments, together with expertise from Water Sensitive Cities Australia.
Governance
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From safeguarding human health to environmental protection, the breadth of Monash’s expertise in climate change is immense. We’re bringing together our world-leading capabilities to initiate, develop and activate change through a range of multi-disciplinary projects that address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have committed to reporting annually on our progress to improve the climate alignment of our investments as part of the University's broader responsible investment and sustainable development goals (SDG) reporting processes.
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Monash was the first university in the world to raise funds for sustainable development of projects by issuing a climate bond.
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To prepare ourselves for the move to 100% renewable energy, we're investing in world-class design to create buildings that are high performance and low emissions intensity, the projects are financed via the Climate Bonds Initiative.
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Investment in Eligible Green Projects directly supports Monash in achieving the priorities outlined in the University’s ESG focus area of ‘Campus’, particularly its Net Zero by 2030 target, as well as in making a positive contribution to addressing climate change under Impact 2030. See Monash's Sustainable Finance Framework for information about our sustainable debt-raising initiatives.